All Kevney Memorial Academy graduates invited to upcoming reunion

By Danielle Sanzone

Thursday, November 15, 2012

LATHAM -- Calling all Keveny students! An event for all graduating years at the school is slated for the Friday after Thanksgiving, organizers said.

"It's going to be a fun event," said Colin DeMers, owner of The Century House, which will host the unique reunion from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 23. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door with all proceeds going to organizations including the Cohoes Community Center, the Cohoes Senior Center, the Cohoes Public Library, the Cohoes Music Hall and schools in the city.

The school, which closed in 1986, was demolished, making class get-togethers difficult, DeMers explained. So organizers took it a step further and decided to make it an inclusive event for all Keveny alumni.

"There's no building for us to rally around," said DeMers, a 1979 graduate of Keveny Memorial Academy. "We host a lot of reunions, in general, at The Century House and I always hear people say they wish they could talk with classmates who were a year younger or a year older. That aspect should make this especially fun."

Using social media and direct invitations from Rotary members, many Keveny grads have RSVPed so far and several hundred are expected to attend.

"We hope to raise a lot of money for community organizations," he said.

The school, dating back to 1929, was built by the St. Bernard's Church and named in honor of Rev. Thomas Keveny, the parish's third pastor and founder of the original school, St. Bernard's Academy, which stood on the same site. Keveny Academy served as both an elementary and high school, but when DeMers was there, it was just a high school, he remembered.

"It was a small school and the people were terrific," he said of the three-story brick building that included a gymnasium, cafeteria in the basement, and classrooms. "The wood work was phenomenal as well."

He said he remembered the ringing of the bell the most and the amount of stairs that students were always climbing to get to their next class. "All interactions occurred in the stairwell," he said.

An Albany Catholic Diocese-run school, the staff and faculty included both priests and nuns.

For those reminiscent of the good old days, an auction will be held to sell 10 bricks from Keveny. The event will also feature hors d'oeuvres, a chocolate fountain, a D.J., dancing, raffles and a full cash bar.

In conjunction with the reunion, the Cohoes Rotary's annual Christmas ornament sale is in full swing. This year, the club is not only selling ornaments but coffee mugs as well, both of which depict Keveny Memorial Academy.